We get it, you’re still probably playing Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth, and that’s okay. It’s a big RPG and there are a lot of important choices, side quests, and min/maxing to be done, and we’ve got all the guides you could possible need for Square Enix’s masterpiece.
AT&T says 7.6 million current customers were affected by a recent leak in which sensitive data was released on the dark web, along with 65.4 million former account holders. TechCrunch first reported on Saturday morning that the company has reset the passcodes of all affected active accounts, and AT&T confirmed the move in an update published on its support page. The data set, which AT&T says “appears to be from 2019 or earlier,” includes names, home addresses, phone numbers, dates of birth and Social Security numbers, according to TechCrunch.
TechCrunch reports that it alerted AT&T about the potential for the leaked data to be used to access customers accounts on Monday, after a security researcher discovered that the records included easily decipherable encrypted passcodes. AT&T said today that it’s “launched a robust investigation supported by internal and external cybersecurity experts.” The data appeared on the dark web about two weeks ago, according to AT&T.
It comes three years after a hacker known as ShinyHunters claimed in 2021 that they’d obtained the account data of 73 million AT&T customers. AT&T at the time told BleepingComputer that it had not suffered a breach and that samples of information shared by the hacker online did “not appear to have come from our systems.” The company now says that “it is not yet known whether the data in those fields originated from AT&T or one of its vendors.” So far, it “does not have evidence of unauthorized access to its systems resulting in exfiltration of the data set.”
AT&T says it will reach out to both current and former account holders who have been affected by the leak. The company also says it will offer credit monitoring to those customers “where applicable.”
This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://ift.tt/QtzfdY5
Capcom’s new action-RPG Dragon’s Dogma 2 is sparking a fascinating range of reactions from players, and we’ve got a few of our own. We’ve also got thoughts on why the new South Park game, Snow Day, is such a disappointment, more commentary on Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth’s hotly contested ending, and more.
This week’s gaming news was far-ranging in its nature and its implications. We got reports that Pedro Pascal has already wrapped up shooting on season two of HBO’s The Last of Us, heard rumblings that some publishers are unsure if supporting Xbox continues to make sense for them, and got our first look at Marvel Rivals…
As promised, Capcom has rolled out Dragon’s Dogma 2 update 1.050, which improves PS5 performance and fixes numerous bugs. The update is currently only available on the PS5 and PC, with Xbox Series X|S versions to follow in the next few days.
Complete patch notes are as follows:
[PlayStation 5 / Steam]
[PlayStation 5]
[Steam]
*Capcom has asked players not to expect significant frame rate improvements as those are planned for future updates. Details will be shared ahead of release.
The post Dragon’s Dogma 2 Update 1.050 Is Live, Improves PS5 Performance appeared first on PlayStation LifeStyle.
Elon Musk's answer to ChatGPT is getting an update to make it better at math, coding and more. Musk's xAI has launched Grok-1.5 to early testers with "improved capabilities and reasoning" and the ability to process longer contexts. The company claims it now stacks up against GPT-4, Gemini Pro 1.5 and Claude 3 Opus in several areas.
Going by xAI's numbers, Grok-1.5 appears to be a large improvement over Grok-1. It shot up to 50.6 percent in the MATH benchmark, over double the previous score. It also climbed to 90 percent and 74.1 percent in GSM8K (math word problems) and HumanEval (coding), respectively, compared to 62.9 percent and 63.2 percent before. Those numbers are within shouting distance of Gemini Pro 1.5, GPT-4 and Claude 3 Opus — in fact, the HumanEval coding score beats all rivals except Claude 3 Opus.
It can also process long contexts of up to 128K tokens within its context window, meaning it can amalgamate data from more sources to understand a situation. "This allows Grok to have an increased memory capacity of up to 16 times the previous context length, enabling it to utilize information from substantially longer documents," the company said.
xAI didn't detail Grok's progress in other areas, though, where it still may be lagging (academic scores, multimodal and others). And Grok-1.5 may not keep its position for long. ChatGPT 5 is set to arrive sometime this summer, promising a feature set that "makes it feel like you are communicating with a person rather than a machine," according to OpenAI.
Currently, Grok is only available for users of the Premium+ tier on X (formerly Twitter), though Elon Musk recently promised to open it up to X's regular Premium users. The company also recently open sourced its Grok chatbot, after Musk sued OpenAI and Sam Altman for allegedly abandoning its non-profit mission.
This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://ift.tt/mpnRkByActivision is reportedly in the midst of investigating a hacking campaign that's stealing login credentials from people playing its games. According to TechCrunch, bad actors have been successfully installing malware onto victims' computers and using their access to steal logins for their gaming accounts and even their crypto wallets. The video game publisher has apparently been helping victims remove the malware and regain control of their accounts, but it doesn't have enough information at the moment to say how the malware is spreading.
TechCrunch's source said the malware "could be only affecting folks who have third-party tools installed," insinuating that people are getting it from non-Activision-developed software typically used with its games. Delaney Simmons, Activision's spokesperson, told the publication that the company is aware of "claims that some player credentials across the broader industry could be compromised from malware from downloading or using unauthorized software." He added that the company's servers "remain secure and uncompromised."
That's certainly a plausible theory, seeing as the hacking scheme appears to have been uncovered by someone known as Zeebler, who develops cheating software for Call of Duty. Zeebler told TechCrunch that he discovered the campaign when one of his customers had their account stolen for his software. Upon looking into it, he reportedly discovered a database containing stolen credentials. He also said that the malware is disguised to look like real software, but they were actually designed to steal the usernames and passwords victims type in. Zeebler is presumably talking about third-party tools like cheating software getting cloned to harvest people's logins, but phishing schemes that use Activision's official login design exist, as well. Bottom line is, people should be careful what they download and always double check if the login page they're typing in is the real deal.
This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://ift.tt/FjQXe6MNo more Fortnite Twitch streams on butts. I said what I said. If you're out of the loop on all things Twitch, there's a trend going around of streamers projecting their gameplays on green-screened body parts, usually intimate ones like butts and breasts. Because normal picture-in-picture is now apparently too boring. Twitch is putting a stop to its streamers' shenanigans, though, and will officially prohibit "content that focuses on clothed intimate body parts such as the buttocks, groin, or breasts for extended periods of time" starting on March 29.
Our Community Guidelines are designed to help make Twitch a welcoming place. Content on Twitch is always evolving, and we want to make sure our rules work as intended and keep up with emerging behaviors. When needed, we make updates to our rules to capture those shifts in…
— Twitch Support (@TwitchSupport) March 27, 2024
In a writeup on the trend, Kotaku explained that it all started when controversial streamer Morgpie projected her Fortnite gaming session on a closeup of her behind. After that, other streamers followed suit, overlaying their games on body parts both real and fictional, like anime thighs or anime boobs breasting boobily on screen while they're playing. Now, boobs and butts streaming is out. Don't get caught up on the "clothed intimate body parts" wording, as well — of course, their unclothed versions are also prohibited, as per Twitch's policy that doesn't allow users to broadcast or upload "content that contains depictions of real or fictional nudity, regardless of the medium used to create it."
Twitch had previously revised its guidelines due to Morgpie's activities on its platform. The streamer went live with a well-positioned camera that suggested she was gaming topless, shortly after Twitch relaxed its rules for sexual content on the platform. It gave rise to a meta of streamers pretending to be unclothed, prompting the platform to rescind those policy changes and ultimately to bar users from pretending to be fully or partially nude in their streams.
I’ve officially seen it all 💀pic.twitter.com/gZ96jSa3hD
— ryan 🤿 (@scubaryan_) March 16, 2024
The Outsiders and Lab42 Games have announced Metal Hellsinger VR, and the virtual reality version of its rhythm shooter will come to PSVR2.
With a tentative 2024 release window, Metal Hellsinger VR will take the revered shooter into a whole new dimension.
The original acclaimed rhythm shooter, developed by The Outsiders and rated 96 percent positive on Steam, has been developed for virtual reality from the ground up in collaboration with Lab42 Games, to take full advantage of the potential of virtual reality.
With over three million players having made the Hells fear the beat since the release of Metal: Hellsinger, they will this year be able to step into the half-demon body of the Unknown. With access to her full arsenal of powers and weapons, they will aim, move, dash, and shoot with complete freedom in virtual reality.
Highly requested by the community, Metal: Hellsinger VR includes the game’s legendary original score, with artists like Serj Tankian (System of a Down), Matt Heafy (Trivium), Alissa White-Gluz (Arch Enemy), Randy Blythe (Lamb of God), and more.
Metal: Hellsinger burns bright in virtual reality, with its meaty first-person gunplay, immersive world that pulsates to the rhythm of the music, and hypnotic, pulse-pounding gameplay flow. Aim dual pistols independently, reload manually, and slay to the beat with your blade. Whether you want to move in full virtual reality, use the joystick, or even play sitting, it’s all possible.
Stare down the hordes of Hell face-to-face on a thrilling ride to exact vengeance on the Red Judge, ruler of the Hells, in the full original campaign, voiced by Troy Baker and Jennifer Hale. With the Red Judge defeated, Archdevil Difficulty and Torment Challenges await.
The post Metal Hellsinger VR Blasts Onto PSVR2 in 2024 appeared first on PlayStation LifeStyle.
It's been five months since President Joe Biden signed an executive order (EO) to address the rapid advancements in artificial intelligence. The White House is today taking another step forward in implementing the EO with a policy that aims to regulate the federal government's use of AI. Safeguards that the agencies must have in place include, among other things, ways to mitigate the risk of algorithmic bias.
"I believe that all leaders from government, civil society and the private sector have a moral, ethical and societal duty to make sure that artificial intelligence is adopted and advanced in a way that protects the public from potential harm while ensuring everyone is able to enjoy its benefits," Vice President Kamala Harris told reporters on a press call.
Harris announced three binding requirements under a new Office of Management and Budget (OMB) policy. First, agencies will need to ensure that any AI tools they use "do not endanger the rights and safety of the American people." They have until December 1 to make sure they have in place "concrete safeguards" to make sure that AI systems they're employing don't impact Americans' safety or rights. Otherwise, the agency will have to stop using an AI product unless its leaders can justify that scrapping the system would have an "unacceptable" impact on critical operations.
Per the policy, an AI system is deemed to impact safety if it "is used or expected to be used, in real-world conditions, to control or significantly influence the outcomes of" certain activities and decisions. Those include maintaining election integrity and voting infrastructure; controlling critical safety functions of infrastructure like water systems, emergency services and electrical grids; autonomous vehicles; and operating the physical movements of robots in "a workplace, school, housing, transportation, medical or law enforcement setting."
Unless they have appropriate safeguards in place or can otherwise justify their use, agencies will also have to ditch AI systems that infringe on the rights of Americans. Purposes that the policy presumes to impact rights defines include predictive policing; social media monitoring for law enforcement; detecting plagiarism in schools; blocking or limiting protected speech; detecting or measuring human emotions and thoughts; pre-employment screening; and "replicating a person’s likeness or voice without express consent."
When it comes to generative AI, the policy stipulates that agencies should assess potential benefits. They all also need to "establish adequate safeguards and oversight mechanisms that allow generative AI to be used in the agency without posing undue risk."
The second requirement will force agencies to be transparent about the AI systems they're using. "Today, President Biden and I are requiring that every year, US government agencies publish online a list of their AI systems, an assessment of the risks those systems might pose and how those risks are being managed," Harris said.
As part of this effort, agencies will need to publish government-owned AI code, models and data, as long as doing so won't harm the public or government operations. If an agency can't disclose specific AI use cases for sensitivity reasons, they'll still have to report metrics
Last but not least, federal agencies will need to have internal oversight of their AI use. That includes each department appointing a chief AI officer to oversee all of an agency's use of AI. "This is to make sure that AI is used responsibly, understanding that we must have senior leaders across our government who are specifically tasked with overseeing AI adoption and use," Harris noted. Many agencies will also need to have AI governance boards in place by May 27.
The vice president added that prominent figures from the public and private sectors (including civil rights leaders and computer scientists) helped shape the policy along with business leaders and legal scholars.
The OMB suggests that, by adopting the safeguards, the Transportation Security Administration may have to let airline travelers opt out of facial recognition scans without losing their place in line or face a delay. It also suggests that there should be human oversight over things like AI fraud detection and diagnostics decisions in the federal healthcare system.
As you might imagine, government agencies are already using AI systems in a variety of ways. The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration is working on artificial intelligence models to help it more accurately forecast extreme weather, floods and wildfires, while the Federal Aviation Administration is using a system to help manage air traffic in major metropolitan areas to improve travel time.
"AI presents not only risk, but also a tremendous opportunity to improve public services and make progress on societal challenges like addressing climate change, improving public health and advancing equitable economic opportunity," OMB Director Shalanda Young told reporters. "When used and overseen responsibly, AI can help agencies to reduce wait times for critical government services to improve accuracy and expand access to essential public services."
This policy is the latest in a string of efforts to regulate the fast-evolving realm of AI. While the European Union has passed a sweeping set of rules for AI use in the bloc, and there are federal bills in the pipeline, efforts to regulate AI in the US have taken more of a patchwork approach at state level. This month, Utah enacted a law to protect consumers from AI fraud. In Tennessee, the Ensuring Likeness Voice and Image Security Act (aka the Elvis Act — seriously) is an attempt to protect musicians from deepfakes i.e. having their voices cloned without permission.
This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://ift.tt/tXfYgK0
Rumor has it that an Overwatch-style Marvel 6v6 hero shooter, titled Marvel Rivals, is set to be announced today. We already know that a Marvel game reveal is scheduled today, as The Game Awards host Geoff Keighley teased an announcement for 8 a.m. PT / 11 a.m. ET.
The first mention of Marvel Rivals came from known leaker Kurakasis, who has a pretty decent track record. According to them, the game is a AAA multiplayer first-person shooter developed by NetEase for consoles, PC, and mobile devices.
Then, a website called The Streamr claimed to have obtained exclusive information about Marvel Rivals. According to them, the screenshots that they have seen suggest a third-person shooter, not FPS. It’ll be similar to Overwatch, except that it’ll be a 6v6 shooter.
The Streamr claims that Marvel Rivals aesthetically looks similar to Valorant and may come with the following characters (subject to change):
The Streamr also disclosed two modes — Escort and King of the Hill — and two maps. One of the maps that is called Odin’s Vault, and the other is based on a real city. The website further claims that “environmental destruction is a big part of the game.”
As for a release date, Marvel Rivals is reportedly in pre-alpha, with a release expected sometime in 2025.
The post A Marvel 6v6 Hero Shooter Is Reportedly Being Announced Today appeared first on PlayStation LifeStyle.
Stunlock Studios upcoming vampire-flavored survival game V Rising hits PS5 this year and will be bringing the granddaddy of all vampire game names with it.
Castlevania comes to the world of V Rising and has been revealed in a Legacy of Castlevania teaser trailer. In the event, players will be able to battle master vampire slayer Simon Belmont.
V Rising – Legacy of Castlevania arrives in-game on May 8, 2024, for the 1.0 launch, with a PS5 release set to arrive sometime in 2024.
Experience a Vampire Survival Action RPG adventure like no other.
Awaken after centuries of slumber, weakened and thirsty for blood. Explore a vast open world of dark fantasy, humans, horrors, and worse… the deadly sunlight. Rise in power and conquer the world of the living.
Hunt alone or gather a clan. V Rising can be played solo, co-op, or persistent online multiplayer.
DIVE INTO A GOTHIC OPEN-WORLD
Travel through lush forests, open countryside, harsh winterlands, and dark caverns to discover valuable resources. Plunder villages, uncover haunted towns, and delve into the domains of supernatural beasts.
RAISE YOUR CASTLE
Claim your territory, craft resources, and build a mighty castle worthy of your legacy. Fill your halls with lavish decor and transform humans into loyal thralls to serve within its walls.
SURVIVE & RISE
Stick to the shadows during the daytime, or the burning sunlight will turn you to ashes. Hunt your prey under the veil of night, and absorb their knowledge and power by drinking their blood.
MASTER YOUR VAMPIRE
Learn and master an arsenal of deadly weapons and magic abilities. Tailor your vampire powers to fit your play style by combining weapons with a diverse range of spells.
COMPETE OR COOPERATE
Hunt solo or fight side by side with other players to slay heroes and monsters alike. Cooperate with your fellow Vampires, or choose to delve into more dangerous realms and face them as rivals.
In a world of conflict, only one vampire shall reign supreme. Dare you to challenge the throne of Dracula?
The post Vampire Survival Game V Rising to Get Castlevania Crossover appeared first on PlayStation LifeStyle.
I remember watching the February 20, 2013, PlayStation 4 announcement live stream, eager to learn what the new console would bring me. It was a lengthy affair and looking back I barely remember what was announced—Except for one title that etched itself onto my mind: a Capcom dungeon crawler called Deep Down. I got a…
One of April 2024’s PS Plus Premium classics has apparently leaked. A PlayStation Store tracking website found references to Star Wars: Rebel Assault II: The Hidden Empire — an action rail shooter that originally released on the PS1 in 1996.
According to the listings discovered by PS Deals (thanks, Gematsu), Star Wars: Rebel Assault II: The Hidden Empire will release for both the PS4 and PS5 on Tuesday, April 16. This is when the full PS Plus Extra and Premium lineups for the month should be expected, barring unforeseen issues.
Star Wars: Rebel Assault II: The Hidden Empire was developed by Lucas Arts. The PS1 version was developed by Factor 5, which became defunct in 2009 after 22 years of operation. Its last game, which happened to be a PS3 exclusive, was Lair. Factor 5 suffered from a number of game cancellations prior to its closure, several of which were in development exclusively for the PS3. In 2016, a prototype of its canceled multiplatform Superman game surfaced online.
As for Star Wars: Rebel Assault II: The Hidden Empire, the game was considered a commercial success despite garnering mixed reviews.
The post PS Plus Premium Classic for April 2024 Revealed Early appeared first on PlayStation LifeStyle.
Developer Orange Game Works has announced the sci-fi murder mystery visual novel game Murder on the Spaceship Altair, with a PS4 & PS5 release on the horizon after a launch on Nintendo Switch next month.
Mitsue Kaneko, who has worked on numerous mystery ADVs such as the Detective Saburo Jinguji series, Golden Eagle, and Gothic Murder, is in charge of the planning and scenario for the game.
In Murder on the Spaceship Altair, Jupiter‘s fourth moon, Callisto—once the location of humanity’s most advanced research base. One day, “Zion Frontier,” as it was called, was struck by a mysterious explosion.
One year later, the fractured remains of the base have been recovered by a manned ship called “Altair.” Among the remains was a frozen capsule containing the body of genius space engineer Zion Miller, and the android Flem nestled beside the capsule. And then there was Hope, the extraterrestrial life form discovered near Jupiter.
You play as the Master AI of the spaceship Altair and end up partnering with Flem in order to solve the mystery. Issue commands to Flem and investigate the ship. Depending on the command, you may be able to communicate with the crew through physical contact and the like… Interact with the crew through various means and strengthen your relationships.
The post Murder on the Spaceship Altair Announced for PS4 & PS5 appeared first on PlayStation LifeStyle.
Capcom has outlined its upcoming Dragon’s Dogma 2 update for all platforms, which add the option to cap frame rate to 30 FPS on the PS5 and Xbox Series X|S. The game suffers from performance issues, especially on the PS5, and has been criticized for excessive microtransactions — speaking of which, the patch also addresses complaints about a specific in-game item.
The item in question is the “Art of Metamorphosis,” which is an extremely rare find in the game. However, Capcom was selling the item as a separate add-on — a move that has been heavily criticized. The incoming update will increase the number of “Art of Metamorphosis” at Pawn Guilds.
Preliminary patch notes are as follows:
All Platforms
Updates for PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X|S
Updates for Steam
The post Incoming Dragon’s Dogma 2 Update to Allow 30 FPS Cap on Consoles appeared first on PlayStation LifeStyle.
It looks like Bend Studio‘s live service AAA PS5 game escaped the recent PlayStation job cuts and game cancellations unscathed. The studio hasn’t revealed anything about its new project beyond confirming that it’s a new IP, leaving fans to pick up clues from official job descriptions.
The last update we received from Bend Studio was in January this year, when it assured fans via a tweet that it’s still “cooking.” However, PlayStation underwent mass layoffs last month, followed by project cancellations. A number of the live service games that Sony had greenlit as part of its push into games-as-a-service have also been canceled. However, Bend Studio is seemingly safe.
Spotted by a Reddit user, a new job advertisement published by Bend reveals that the developer is seeking a lead project manager for its mystery IP. The term “live service” is mentioned at least three times in the description. The ideal candidate is expected to lead the game’s live services strategy, have hands-on experience of AAA live service games, and have previously led a transition from traditional “boxed product” studio to a live service development studio.
Previous job descriptions have revealed that Bend Studio’s game is set in “a whole new world.”
The post Bend Studio’s Live Service PS5 Exclusive Seemingly Safe From Recent Cuts appeared first on PlayStation LifeStyle.
According to Rabbit, the first batch of US pre-orders will ship on March 31. But stay patient, as it’ll take a few weeks for the devices to get to their destinations. The company estimates the first R1 orders will be in customers’ hands “around April 24.”
The Rabbit R1 generated equal amounts of hype and questions regarding next-gen AI hardware and whether it can deliver on the heady demos and press releases. I will say, though, the R1, co-designed by Teenage Engineering, is a pretty piece of tech.
— Mat Smith
Studio Ghibli Fest will bring 14 movies back to theaters this year, so start planning
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University security researchers found a chip-level exploit in Apple Silicon-powered Macs. The group says the flaw can bypass the computer’s encryption and access its security keys. However, hackers would need to circumvent Apple’s Gatekeeper protections, install a malicious app and let the software run for 10 hours — in addition to other complex conditions. As long as you have Apple’s Gatekeeper turned on (the default), you won’t be able to install such malicious apps anyway.
As the Senate considers a bill that would force the sale or ban of TikTok, lawmakers have heard directly from intelligence officials about the app’s alleged national security threat. Now, two senators are asking the office of the Director of National Intelligence to declassify and make public what the agency has shared.
Instead of a suggestive tease, spam bots in the Instagram universe are now more likely to post a single, inoffensive, completely irrelevant-to-the-subject word, sometimes accompanied by an emoji or two. That’s partially because Instagram’s word filters won’t catch them, but it’s simply a numbers game. Cheyenne MacDonald takes a closer look.
This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://ift.tt/m5914dbGKIDS and Fathom Events have announced the lineup for Studio Ghibli Fest 2024, and it’s absolutely stacked with gems. This year’s run includes 14 films and isn’t limited only to the works of Hayao Miyazaki, also featuring movies directed by Isao Takahata, Yoshifumi Kondo, Hiroyuki Morita and Hiromasa Yonebayashi. Studio Ghibli Fest 2024 will start with Spirited Away on April 27 and continue through December, when it ends with My Neighbor Totoro. The movies are playing in select AMC and Regal theaters across the US, with a few dates for each title in both Japanese and English dubbed.
The full list is: Spirited Away (April 27-May 1), Nausicaä of the Valley of the Wind (May 19 and 21), Castle in the Sky (May 20 and 22), The Secret World of Arrietty (June 9 and 11), When Marnie Was There (June 10 and 12), Princess Mononoke (July 13-17), Ponyo (August 3-7), Whisper of the Heart (August 25 and 27), The Cat Returns (August 26 and 28), Howl’s Moving Castle (September 26-October 3), Kiki’s Delivery Service (October 26-30), Pom Poko (November 24 and 26), The Tale of the Princess Kaguya (November 25 and 27), and My Neighbor Totoro (December 7-11).
I’m already crying thinking about watching Nausicaä and Princess Kaguya on the big screen. Actually, you can apply that sentiment to pretty much all of these titles. It’s going to be great. According to the announcement, there will also be “surprise special extra content.”
This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://ift.tt/1GUvQsaThe newly independent game studio Toys for Bob, which announced last month that it was splitting from Microsoft-owned Activision, has entered an agreement with Xbox for a new game, according to a report from Windows Central. Toys for Bob developed 2018’s Spyro Reignited Trilogy and was behind Crash Bandicoot 4, along with the Nintendo Switch port for the N. Sane Trilogy.
There are no real details yet as to what the new title might be, aside from a comment by Xbox’s Matt Booty that it will be in line with the kind of games Toys for Bob has become known for, according to Windows Central. Toys for Bob also led the development of the early Skylanders toys-to-life games. Though it only recently departed from the Activision Blizzard/Microsoft family, the studio indicated leading up to the news of its deal with Xbox that it would remain open to working with its former employer on future projects.
In February, Toys for Bob said it was “exploring a possible partnership between our new studio and Microsoft,” and that it was “confident that we will continue to work closely together” with Activision and Microsoft. “So, keep your horns on and your eyes out for more news,” the studio wrote.
This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://ift.tt/Ei4SBw0Sonos is readying the release of its followup to 2021’s Roam speaker, and it should be here in time for all your outdoor summer excursions. In the Power On newsletter this week, Bloomberg’s Mark Gurman says Sonos is planning a June release for the Roam 2 speaker. The first-generation Roam was Sonos’ second attempt at a portable speaker, with a slim, triangular build that weighs less than a pound but produces impressive sound.
According to Gurman, this version of the Roam will feature the same touch-sensitive control panel seen in some of the company’s other speakers, like the Era 100. Sonos is also reportedly working on a new app to pair with its devices, starting with the Roam 2 and an upcoming set of premium headphones that are positioned as an AirPods Max rival. Those headphones will cost $450, Gurman reports, and are also expected to be released in June a bit behind their original schedule.
This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://ift.tt/JWZcbASFederal authorities in the US asked Google for the names, addresses, telephone numbers and user activity of the accounts that watched certain YouTube videos between January 1 and 8, 2023, according to unsealed court documents viewed by Forbes. People who watched those videos while they weren't logged into an account weren't safe either, because the government also asked for their IP addresses. The investigators reportedly ordered Google to hand over the information as part of an investigation into someone who uses the name "elonmuskwhm" online.
Authorities suspect that elonmuskwhm is selling bitcoin for cash and is, thus, breaking money laundering laws, as well as running an unlicensed money transmitting business. Undercover agents reportedly sent the suspect links to videos of YouTube tutorials for mapping via drones and augmented reality software in their conversations back in early January. Those videos, however, weren't private and had been collectively viewed by over 30,000 times, which means the government was potentially asking Google for private information on quite a large number of users. "There is reason to believe that these records would be relevant and material to an ongoing criminal investigation, including by providing identification information about the perpetrators," authorities reportedly told the company.
Based on the documents Forbes had seen, the court granted the order but had asked Google to keep it under wraps. It's also unclear if Google handed over the data the authorities were asking for. In another incident, authorities asked the company for a list of accounts that "viewed and/or interacted" with eight YouTube livestreams. Cops requested for that information after learning that they were being watched through a stream while they were searching an area following a report that an explosive was placed inside a trashcan. One of those video livestreams was posted by the Boston and Maine Live account, which has over 130,000 subscribers.
A Google spokesperson told Forbes that the company follows a "rigorous process" to protect the privacy of its users. But critics and privacy advocates are still concerned that government agencies are overstepping and are using their power to obtain sensitive information on people who just happened to watch specific YouTube videos and aren't in any way doing anything illegal.
"What we watch online can reveal deeply sensitive information about us—our politics, our passions, our religious beliefs, and much more," John Davisson, senior counsel at the Electronic Privacy Information Center, told Forbes. "It's fair to expect that law enforcement won't have access to that information without probable cause. This order turns that assumption on its head."
This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://ift.tt/0Gh7mJu
This week, one of the biggest stories in gaming involved updates to an eight-year-old game. Yes, Stardew Valley developer ConcernedApe trickled out a series of details about the game’s latest patch that had fans hanging on every word in anticipation. We’ve got all the facts for you about this game-changing update, as…
If you're in the US, you might see a new shaded section at the top of your Google Search results with a summary answering your inquiry, along with links for more information. That section, generated by Google's generative AI technology, used to appear only if you've opted into the Search Generative Experience (SGE) in the Search Labs platform. Now, according to Search Engine Land, Google has started adding the experience on a "subset of queries, on a small percentage of search traffic in the US." And that is why you could be getting Google's experimental AI-generated section even if you haven't switched it on.
The company introduced SGE at its I/O developer conference in May last year, shortly after it opened up access to its ChatGPT rival Bard, now called Gemini. By November, it had rolled out the feature to 120 countries with more languages other than English, but it still remained opt in. Search Engine Land says Google will start showing you the experience even if you haven't opted in if you look up complex queries or if it thinks you could benefit from getting information from multiple websites. "How do I get marks off painted walls," is apparently one example.
Google told the publication that for these tests, it will only show AI overviews if it has confidence that they will show information better than what Search results might surface. Apparently, the company is conducting these tests, because it wants to get feedback from more people, specifically from those who didn't choose to activate the feature. That way it can have a better idea of how generative AI can serve those who may not be tech-savvy or those who couldn't care less about generative AI.
This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://ift.tt/n86e4faThe UK's Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) is concerned that the merger Three and Vodafone announced last year could lead to "substantial lessening of competition" and might conduct an in-depth investigation into the deal. Three years after Virgin Media's merger with O2, Three and Vodafone revealed their intention to enter a joint venture agreement that would knock off a standalone mobile network from consumers' choices in the region. go
Apparently, CMA regulators launched a preliminary investigation into their proposed deal back in January and had identified potential issues that could come with combining two of the four remaining mobile network operators in the UK. Those issues include the possibility of the merger leading to higher prices and lower quality of service, since competition typically helps keep prices low and compels operators to make investments meant to improve their network quality. In addition, the CMA is worried that having fewer networks could affect mobile virtual network operators' ability to negotiate for the best deals possible for their customers.
When the two companies announced the merger in 2023, they said that together, they will "have the scale needed to deliver a best-in-class 5G network" and open up "new opportunities for businesses across the length and breadth of the UK." But CMA regulators say their claims "need more detailed assessment." They've now given the companies five working days to respond to their concerns with "meaningful solutions," otherwise they'll proceed towards conducting a more in-depth investigation.
In 2015, Three also made an attempt to purchase O2 for £10.25 billion ($12.9 billion), but the CMA and the European Commission blocked the purchase after concluding that it would reduce competition and lead to higher prices. The CMA approved the joint agreement between O2 and Virgin Media, a landline, cable and broadband operator, however, after it found those very same concerns to be unfounded.
This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://ift.tt/VPKfuICThe Department of Justice and more than a dozen states have filed a lawsuit against Apple in the US federal court, accusing the company of violating antitrust laws. It says Apple’s hardware and software products are largely inaccessible to competitors, making it difficult for rivals to compete and for customers to switch to other companies’ products.
The lawsuit comes after the European Commission fined Apple €1.8 billion ($1.95 billion) for stopping music-streaming developers from “informing iOS users about alternative and cheaper music subscription services available” outside the App Store. And all this while US lawmakers chase another tech company, TikTok, with a lot of enthusiasm.
The DOJ suggests Apple used its control over iOS to block innovative apps and cloud streaming services from the public. (Look at cloud gaming services, like Google’s now-gone Stadia and Microsoft’s xCloud). The suit also suggests Apple has obstructed rival payment platforms, made it harder for Android messages to appear on iPhones and restricted how competing smartphones integrated with iOS devices.
You could compare Apple’s antitrust suit to Microsoft’s antitrust suit brought against Windows in the late ’90s — even Attorney General Merrick Garland noted those in the suit. But Microsoft truly dominated PC software back then, with over 90 percent of all PCs running some flavor of Windows.
The DOJ says Apple claims 70 percent of all smartphones, which is already less. Step outside the US, which is a bit academic here, and Apple has the same market share as Samsung, with many other phone makers jostling for a percentage point or two. It’s not quite the same grip as Microsoft had on PCs.
— Mat Smith
Our hilariously timed piece on how the iPhone changed tech overnight
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Two devices conspicuously missing from Microsoft’s Surface and AI event last fall are finally here — and they’re what we expected and a bit surprising. Today, Microsoft unveiled the Surface Pro 10 and Surface Laptop 6, sporting the same designs as the previous models but now with the AI smarts of Intel’s new Core Ultra CPU. Alas, both have the foreboding words “for business” attached to their names, so you’ll only be able to buy them from Microsoft’s website or commercial resellers. But why? We don’t really know.
DoorDash just announced the launch of a new drone delivery pilot program in Christiansburg, Virginia, with an approximate population of 22,000. The company says orders should arrive in 30 minutes or less, making high-flying drones about as fast as a standard pizza delivery. However, it’s limited to only “eligible items.” And, alas, only items from fast-food chain Wendy’s.
Wendy’s? Wendy’s.
Nearly two decades after its debut, Reddit is now a publicly traded company. It was listed on the New York Stock Exchange as RDDT on Thursday, with mascot Snoo on hand to ring the opening bell. One interesting aspect of Reddit going public is it offered shares at the IPO pricing to long-term users of good standing over the last few weeks. It’s not all good news for Reddit, though. It recently signed a deal with Google, reportedly worth $60 million a year, to train the latter’s AI models on user-generated content. The Federal Trade Commission is looking into that arrangement.
This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://ift.tt/hmiNdLZWhatsApp has just made it easier to take note of more important messages from within a conversation. Meta chief Mark Zuckerberg and WhatsApp head Will Cathcart have both announced on their respective WhatsApp channels that you'll now be able to pin up to three messages to the top of a chat, allowing you quick access to any information you want. As TechCrunch notes, you could only pin one message from the time the feature launched in December up until now. But with this update, you may no longer have to save, say, addresses or recipes you get from friends in separate note files.
The Meta-owned messaging app has also updated its Help Center to reflect the new three-message rule. You can pin not just text messages, but also images and polls, and they'll stay at the top of the chat for 24 hours, 7 days or a whole month. If you pin just one message, it'll show up as the chat banner. But if you pin more, the banner shows how many messages are pinned, with the most recent one appearing first when you tap on it.
To pin a message, you only have to press on it, select "pin" and choose the duration you want. You can unpin messages the same way if you don't want to see it at the top of your chat anymore before the deadline you set comes up. Back in December WhatsApp also introduced voice messages that self-destruct for those that want an extra layer of security and privacy. And if an unconfirmed report that went out earlier this year is true, then we could expect the service to launch an AirDrop-like file sharing capability in the future.
This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://ift.tt/6jCg45oThis spring, clean your gadgets. Clean your tech. Be less gross in 2024. It's one of my aims. Alongside our anniversary stories this month, we’re also in a spring-cleaning frame of mind. We’re cleaning AirPods and digitally decluttering the PC. (And if you’re physically decluttering, how about making a bit of money simultaneously?)
This week, we explain how to clean all your screens without damaging them. And, if we really stretch the spring-cleaning theme to include hygiene and then stretch again to sleep hygiene, here’s some technology to help you get a better rest, too.
After all that cleaning.
— Mat Smith
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Glassdoor reportedly attaches real names to anonymous accounts
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Elon Musk announced the first human patient had received a Neuralink brain implant as part of the company’s first clinical trial earlier this year. And yesterday, the company briefly live streamed a demo on X of 29-year-old Nolan Arbaugh, who is paralyzed from the neck down, demonstrating the implant by moving a cursor around the screen of a laptop and pausing an on-screen music player. Arbaugh said the implant has allowed him to play chess and Civilization VI.
All those big names have joined Epic Games in protesting Apple’s decision to charge a fee for iOS payments made outside of the App Store. The company takes up to a 30 percent cut of App Store purchases. When developers process purchases outside of the App Store, Apple will charge a fee of up to 27 percent. That’s really not much different.
The four companies supporting Epic’s petition claim Apple’s fee on external payments effectively maintains the previous rules. “The Apple Plan comports with neither the letter nor the spirit of this Court’s mandate,” their brief states.
Peacock will host more than 5,000 hours of live coverage across the two weeks, including each of the 329 medal events. That’s far more than anyone could possibly watch during the Games, so to help you keep track of several events at once, Peacock is offering several multiview options. On TVs, tablets and desktop browsers (but not phones, sadly), you’ll be able to watch four matches at the same time. With the multiview modes, you can move the screens around, choose the audio track you want to listen to and click through to watch an event in full screen. Another feature, Peacock Live Actions, will help you follow the events you’re most interested in, so you can continue watching the sport on screen even after NBC’s broadcast switches elsewhere.
This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://ift.tt/IO8JMSbIf you’ve been following the news here on Engadget, you know there are always new smartphones coming out to outshine your old handset and inspire some real gadget FOMO. But once you’ve upgraded, what do you do with your old phone? If it’s still in good working condition, chances are that someone out there is willing to shell out a few bucks for your castoff. And that goes for so much more than just phones since you can always find somewhere to sell your old laptops, game consoles and other electronics for a pretty penny. Learn about all of the places where you can sell your used gadgets below.
If you're looking for the least amount of hassle and easiest way to get money in hand as soon as possible, there are plenty of sites that automate the trade-in process. You'll select your device from a list, get a quote within minutes and send the device to the company in return for cash in a matter of days.
Decluttr definitely lives up to its name. Not only can you sell phones from a number of manufacturers, including Apple, Samsung and Google, but the site also takes lots of physical media, including CDs, DVDs, Blu-rays, video games and books. For devices, you'll be asked to provide a general assessment of its condition before you’re given a quote immediately. Once you complete your order, the site will send you a free shipping label. Decluttr also will accept handsets as old as the iPhone 7, though it'll offer you only $14 for a 32GB model in good condition.
uSell operates as a broker, searching other sites for their best offers on a given device and taking care of the rest. Like most buyback sites, it's big on iPhones, but you can still sell off other manufacturers' devices; it really depends on who's buying them at that point. The selection is a bit of a grab bag — newer phones like the Galaxy S22 aren't listed, though you can get a quote for the iPhone 15 ($672 for an unlocked, “flawless” 64GB model). Once you complete your order the site will send you a free shipping kit to send in your device, and you can get paid for the item via PayPal, Venmo or an old-fashioned check.
If you don't want to have to worry about packaging up your old device and mailing it off, or would like to receive your payout right away, there's always ecoATM. It's literally all in the name: the company operates automated machines that you place your device into to get it examined, and it pays you out on the spot. It accepts the biggest brands (i.e., Apple, Google and Samsung), along with devices from a wide variety of manufacturers, including LG, Motorola and ZTE. If the machine determines that your device isn't worth anything at all, you can still use ecoATM to responsibly recycle your old gadget. You'll find ecoATM kiosks in Walmart and Kroger locations, as well as malls and check-cashing stores across the country.
While browsing Amazon listings, it’s likely you’ve come across products marked as “refurbished.” Well, if you’ve ever wondered where those come from, a lot of them likely hail from Amazon’s trade-in program. The company will put its own products, like Kindle ereaders and Fire tablets front and center, but you can also send in phones and gaming products in for an Amazon gift card as well. It’s not great if you want cash, but if you’re looking to upgrade an Amazon device, this option is your best bet, as trading in an older one also nets you a 20 percent discount in addition to the store credit. You’ll need to print out a shipping label, or you can drop off your electronics at select Amazon Locker, Whole Foods or uBreakiFix locations.
This is a good option if you’re looking to upgrade to a newer Apple device. You can trade in iPhones, iPads, Macs and even Apple Watches. That’s notable as wearables are a category you don’t often see on trade-in sites. Apple will even take your old Android phone if you were thinking of making the switch. The trade-in values are on par with other sites, but you can get a smaller payout in the form of a gift card instead if you’d rather wait before making a new purchase, want to put it toward media purchases or even just use it in an Apple Store. The latter, by the way, also accepts trade-ins in case you’re not comfortable shipping your old but still expensive device.
The nice thing about It’sWorthMore is that its on-site forms handle a larger variety of gadgets than other sites, incorporating companies such as Microsoft, AMD and even GoPro in addition to standards like Apple, Samsung and Google. You’ll answer a few standard questions about your device’s condition and whether you still have the original box — obviously, the more you’ve kept from the original packaging, the better. You’ll then get a ballpark estimate of its worth and a prepaid shipping label to print out. Once your device has been received, you’ll generally get the assessment and payment via check, PayPal, Zelle or a gift card in under 10 days.
The appeal of BuyBackWorld is that device assessment is a streamlined process: Instead of having to answer a barrage of detailed questions for your device you give it a general assessment and let the site handle the rest. Just like with It’sWorthMore, BuyBackWorld will provide a printable shipping label in your confirmation email but, if you don’t have a printer or boxes to pack your device up, you can always have the site send you a free shipping kit, which can handle everything the site takes except desktop computers.
If you’ve read through the other site descriptions, GadgetGone’s modus operandi should be familiar: To sell a product, you’ll have to answer a few questions about what type of device you have and what condition it’s in, after which the site will generate a prepaid shipping label. At least here you can find brands like OnePlus included among the options, and you can also sell MacBooks and Mac minis here. You can get paid a number of ways, too, including PayPal, virtual VISA card, Amazon and Target gift cards or just good, old-fashioned bank transfer.
Sometimes you need your money right now, or just don't want to trust your device to the vagaries of various shipping companies. There are a few nationwide retailers that accept trade-ins for cash or store credit. Additionally, wireless carriers like Verizon, T-Mobile, and AT&T will all give you credit toward a new phone.
Best Buy also offers trade-ins both by mail and in-store — with more than 1,000 locations, this might be extremely convenient for you. You fill out the form online and bring that to customer service. It's easy, but there's one big downside: You can get your payout only via a Best Buy gift card. This is great if you spend a lot of money with them anyway, but not ideal if you need cash.
Target isn’t as well known for its trade-in program, but it’s certainly a welcomed option. With over 1,900 locations across the US, it’s easy enough to bring your unwanted phones, tablets, game consoles, smart speakers and video games to a nearby Target’s electronics department for a quote. They’ll even package it up and ship it off to the processing facility for you. You’ll get a Target gift card via email within a week. If you can’t make it to a store, Target also offers a mail-in option.
GameStop is infamous for buying games back at ridiculously low prices and flipping them at near retail, but don't let that stop you from making some easy cash when you need to quickly clear your closet of old electronics and games. And yes, I said cash: GameStop offers store credit, a Visa prepaid card or actual money if you want to take your bounty elsewhere. For example, you can trade in Super Mario Bros. Wonder for the Switch and get $35 in store credit or $24.50 cash, which isn't bad when new copies are going for $50 on Amazon. GameStop also accepts phones, tablets and Apple Watches, though the prices aren't going to match what you'd get from an online trade-in site.
Sometimes you prefer to cut out the middleman and get a bit more personal — a transaction where you're selling your device directly to another person instead of letting a faceless site flip it for you as a "refurbished" unit. In those cases, you want a site that's more user-to-user, though a few will still automate certain bits to make your sale as smooth and secure as possible.
Swappa is a marketplace site, which means sellers can set their own price. So if you're getting rid of a newer phone, this is probably the best way to go — the iPhone 14 fetches around $533, for example. That's a huge improvement over what you'd get selling through a site like Decluttr, which is offering only $267 for a 128GB unit.
When shopping on Amazon, you've probably been tempted by some of those marketplace deals in the past and, chances are, if you list an item on there, someone will give your old device a look. Since almost everyone on earth seems to have an Amazon account, your potential customer base is huge, and it costs only $0.99, plus a percentage based on category, to sell an item through the site. The downsides are that Amazon isn't really optimized for individual sales; you'll be competing with wholesale companies and even bots that will tweak the price of a product automatically in response to the competition.
eBay is sort of the Wild West of sales sites, but the biggest advantage is that you can sell anything there and hopefully find a buyer, regardless of how old a product is. Even so, the site has come a long way in the past decade or so, adding structured categories that can help lead customers to your product. For phones, you can search by network, color or storage capacity, and even filter for features like 4K video or fingerprint sensors.
In the end, it still works as it always did: You list a product and set an end date for the listing with a minimum price, or just set a "Buy It Now" price if you don't want to wait to see how an auction turns out. Chances are you already have an eBay account with a feedback score, so there's no extra setup required on your part. Your first 250 listings are free every month, and you'll pay up to 15 percent of the purchase price only if an item sells. The biggest downside is that you're competing with a lot more sellers, and chances are there's always someone willing to undercut you on price.
Ultimately, the site you go with should be whatever's most useful and convenient, but if you just care about how much money you'll get, we've priced out a few recent flagship handsets just to give you an idea of what each site will pay out.
All phone prices are for the lowest storage capacity, usually 128GB, and for devices that are in generally good condition with no cracks or scratches. The prices are for the unlocked models when available, or the carrier where it's being traded. These prices were valid the day this post was written, but they fluctuate daily or, in the case of sites like Amazon and eBay, hourly.
|
Apple iPhone 13 Pro Max |
Samsung Galaxy S22 Ultra |
Google Pixel 7 |
|
|---|---|---|---|
|
Declutter |
$361 |
$268 |
$153 |
|
uSell |
$455 |
N/A |
N/A |
|
ecoATM |
$275 |
$185 |
$55 |
|
Verizon |
$364 |
$223 |
$127 |
|
T-Mobile |
$315 |
$210 |
$115 |
|
AT&T |
$330 |
$230 |
$130 |
|
Best Buy |
$340 |
$235 |
$115 |
|
GameStop |
$498 credit / $349 cash |
$181 credit / $127 cash |
N/A |
|
Swappa |
$664 |
$539 |
$293 |
|
Amazon |
$578 |
$460 |
$229 |
|
eBay |
$350 |
$340 |
$214 |
|
BuyBackWorld |
$375 |
$275 |
$150 |
|
It'sWorthMore |
$446 |
$382 |
$165 |
|
GadgetGone |
$476 |
$411 |
$218 |
If you were looking to sell some games, we've also got a shorter list, because not every site accepts trade-ins. GameStop will offer you more money than what's listed below if you're a member of its Elite or Elite Pro programs.
|
The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom (Switch) |
Final Fantasy XVI (PS5) |
Diablo IV (Xbox) |
|
|
Decluttr |
$20 |
$16 |
$18 |
|
GameStop |
$30 credit / $21 cash |
$17 credit / $12 cash |
$12 credit / $8 cash |
|
Amazon |
$10 trade-in / $45 marketplace |
$34 marketplace |
$34 marketplace |
|
eBay |
$12 |
$10 |
$15 |
Once you've picked a site and listed your item, there are a few important things to remember before you ship off your device. At the top of the list is to do a full factory reset before disposing of a phone or laptop (or any other device) containing personal data. That also means turning off "Find My iPhone" and the activation lock on iOS devices. See if you can unlock the phone, too; you'll actually get more money selling it carrier-free. And finally, make sure you've backed up any important data you may have, like contact info, game saves and, of course, photos. Cash is great, but it won't save your memories.
Images: Mike Blake / Reuters (ecoATM); Alamy (Gamestop); Getty Images for eBay (eBay)
This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://ift.tt/hqswIEM